Propelling and draft-reducing mechanism for ships and boats



C. DRISCOLL. PRDPELLING AND DRAFT REDUCING MEcHANlsM FDR SHIPS AND BoATs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1920.

Patented July 20, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lCON'1)IEtISC0L1'1,4 OF COALINGA, CALIFORNIA.

'Application led March 24, 1920.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatfI, CON DnrscoLL, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Coalinga, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have 'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling and Draft-Reducing Mechanism for Ships and Boats, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to marine propellers and more particularly Vto propellers adapted to exert both a lifting and a forwardly or rearwardly propelling impulse upon the vessel by which it is carried.

VFurther objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows:

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is front elevation of a propeller constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation thereof partly in section and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner of adjusting the propellers with respect-to the vessel by which said propellers are carried.

Lilie numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing. Referring to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 3, 5 designates the hull of a vessel and 6 a longitudinally extending support it being understood that the construction illustrated in Fig. 3 is to be duplicated upon the other side of the vessel.

rThe longitudinally extending support preferably takes the form of an I beam, see Figs. 1 and 2. Hanger-plates 7 of inverted L shape in cross section are bolted at 8 to the lower flange of the I beam, 6. The plates 7 are tied together by pins 9 and held in this relation by sleeves 10 which embrace said pins. The beams 6 may be secured to the bulwarls of the vessel in any desired manner, such as by interposed block 6l secured to the beams and to the bulwark by bolts, (not shown).

An I beam 11 has its edge flanges cut away at 12 and its web portionis extended at 13 to lie between the plates 7. The I beam 11 swings about a horizontal-shaft 14 which extends inboard to any desired point where power may be applied to rotate the same. At its outer end the shaft 14 carries a bevel gear 15 which meshes with a bevel pinion 16 upon a propeller shaft 17, the latter carry- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Serial No. 368,447.

ing a propeller 18 at its lower end. Journal boxes 1Sn are secured by bolts 19 to the web portion of the I beam 11 said journal boxes lying snugly between the edge flanges 11El of the I beam 11. The propeller shaft 17 is reduced, as indicated at 20, where it passes through the journal boxes, with the result that shoulders 20 are provided upon said shaft, which shoulders effectively hold the shaft against Vendwise movement through the journal boxes and maintain the pinion 16 in proper mesh with gear wheel 15.

L shaped plates arranged in pairs as indicated at 21, 21fL are secured by bolts 22 to the flange 11@l ofthe I beam 11 and corresponding plates 23, 232L are secured by bolts 24 to the base flanges 6 of the I beam (i. Pivoted at 25 and 2G between the plates 21 and 21a and plates 23 and 23a respectively are the oppositely threaded members 27 and 2S of turn-buckles 29. The function of these turn-buckles is to adjust the I beams 11, and consequently the propellers, to varying p0- sitions of angularity and to hold them rigidly in the position to which they are adj usted. It is manifest that since the I beams 11 have the shaft 14 as the center about which they swing, such adjustment of the angularity of the propellers may be effected without disturbing the connection between the gear wheel 15 and the pinion 16.

Any desired number of these propellers may be arranged along side of the vessel. It is to be understood that the showing in Fig. 3 is merely illustrative and is intended to indicate that a plurality of propellers may be employed. Fig. 3 indicates that the propellers may be thrown to such angle as to exert an upwardly and rearwardly propellino impulse to the vessel or an upwardly and forwardly propelling impulse to the vessel. The construction illustrated and described may be employed in case of emergency in freeing vessels from sand bars or other shoals or it may be designedly employed to carry a vessel over a shoal where the location of the shoal is known and where it is apparent to the navigator that the difference in draft that may be brought about by the use of these propellers will be suflieient to carry the vessel over the shoal place.

It is very frequently the case that the presence of a shoal or bar renders it necessary for a vessel to make detours, sometimes of many miles, inorder to avoid such shoals,

when if the draft of the vessel could be decreased by only a foot or so throughout a run of a few hundred feet such detours could be avoided and a great deal of time and expense saved.

The present invention is admirably adapt-lr ed to provide means for adjusting and holding the propellersin any position in whichVv they may most effectively carry the vessel forwardly while at the same time exerting an upward thrust thereon.

It must be remembered that it is not necessary for the propellers to lift the entire weight of the vessel; that water will do that as is shown by the fact that when the load is removed from the vessel the vvessel rises in the water. All that the propellers have to do is to counteract the effect of a part of the load.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but thatit includes within its purviewr whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. The combination with the hull of a vessel of a horizontal driven shaft, a swinging propeller carrying element mounted to swing about said shaft, a propeller shaft carried thereon, intermeshing beveled gears upon the propeller shaft and the horizontal shaft respectively and members adjustable as to length and rigid when set, pivotally connectedto said swinging element and to an element carried by the hull.

2. In a device of the character described the combination with a vessels hull of a longitudinally extending support arranged along one side thereof, a laterally'extending driven shaft projecting inboard from said support, a depending element mounted to swing about said shaft, a propeller shaft carried by said depending element, gearing between the first named shaft and the propeller shaft and turn-bucklespivotally connected to the opposite sides of said element and to the support. v

3. In a device of the character described the combination with a support of a pair of spaced depending hanger-plates, an I beam having its flanges cut away at the upper end thereof Yto leave@ a fiat web portion which projects between said plates, adriving shaft extending through said hanger-plates and said web portion, journal boxes mounted upon said I beam, a propeller shaft mounted in said journal boxes andV interengaging gearing between the driving shaft and the propeller shaft. Y Y 4. A structure as recited in claim 3 in combination with a pair ofV turn-buckles having their lower ends pivotally connected to the opposite side of said I beam and having their upper ends pivotally connected to elements of said support.- Y In testimony whereof I hereunto afhx my signature.

Y CON VDRISCOLL. 

